![\"runners\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-1932553061-2-e1788464404172.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThere\u2019s a moment in almost every race when you start to fight yourself: you think about slowing down, start to overthink your pace and start to dread the remaining distance. Experienced runners aren\u2019t immune to the discomfort of running hard. But they\u2019re usually better at deciding what to do about it.<\/p>\n
Instead of using discomfort as a reason to stop, they learn to distinguish between between a spike in effort and a sign that something is actually wrong. Your brain is constantly taking in information from your muscles, heart, lungs and surroundings to decide how much effort you can afford to spend. As fatigue builds, those signals get louder. Here\u2019s how to train your brain to push through when things start to feel hard.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Discomfort vs. pain<\/p>\n
Perceived exertion (the feeling of how hard you\u2019re working) involves both the brain and signals coming from the body. It also plays an important role in regulating how hard we exercise and how we pace ourselves. That\u2019s why the same pace can feel so different depending on the circumstances: five kilometres at race pace might feel manageable early in a race, but more difficult near the finish.<\/p>\n
Consistent training can change that though. Research suggests<\/a> regular exercise can increase pain tolerance over time. Experienced athletes tend to demonstrate greater pain tolerance<\/a> than less-active people. If you regularly perform hard but controlled efforts, working hard becomes familiar and less psychologically challenging.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean runners should ignore pain. Sharp, unusual or worsening pain is usually a sign that something is wrong, and you should reduce your effort or stop. The goal is to become better at recognizing normal running discomfort without automatically interpreting it as pain or a reason to quit.<\/p>\n Self-talk helps<\/p>\n The voice in your head during a hard effort isn\u2019t just background noise. In a randomized study, researchers found that athletes who completed two weeks of motivational self-talk<\/a> improved their time to exhaustion and reported lower perceived exertion. Self-talk should be short, specific and believable; postural cues are also helpful. Relax your shoulders. Stay tall. One kilometre at a time. You\u2019ve done this before.<\/p>\n The goal is to give your brain something productive to do while the discomfort gets louder. You\u2019re effectively tricking yourself into focusing on something other than the fact that you\u2019re tired or fatigued.<\/p>\n Distract yourself<\/p>\n Easier said than done\u2013when you\u2019re running, sometimes all you can think about is the fact that you\u2019re running. But you can redirect your thoughts toward things such as breathing or cadence to remain present but focused on something measurable rather than how you feel.<\/p>\n![\"man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-1713368796-e1763053053417.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/GettyImages-1649268181.jpg\")
<\/p>\n